15-year-old, two others charged with armed robberies in Batu Pahat

ALOR GAJAH: A Form Three student and two others faced three counts of charges at the Sessions Court here with being involved in spate of armed robberies.

However, the 15-year-old accused together with Naufal Izmeiel Abdullah, 24 and Muhammad Ridzuan Mat Nasir, 26, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them before Judge Nariman Badruddin on Wed (Jan 24).

Based on the charge sheet, the trio, together with two others who are still at large, had allegedly staged the robbery by using a machete and steel rods to rob five foreign workers and causing injuries to them as well as taking away RM1,700 and four mobile phones belonging to the victims.

They had allegedly committed the offences between 10pm and 11.40pm at a vegetable farm at Kampung Melekek and Kampung Kandang Kambing as well as a fruit plantation at Jalan Kemus, Simpang Ampat in the Alor Gajah district between Nov 3 and Dec 19, 2023.

The charges were framed under Section 394 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same act, carries a jail term of up to 20 years and fine or whipping, upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhamad Ehsan Nasarudin prosecuted.

Muhamad Ridzuan was represented by lawyer Zaki Abdul Shukor while the two others were unrepresented.

The court granted bail of RM5,000 to the teenager while setting bail at RM18,000 each for both the older accused.

The next mention date was fixed for Feb 27.

Earlier, Alor Gajah OCPD Superintendent Arshad Abu said a 15-year-old student and a 13-year-old student were among three individuals detained by a police task force for staging a series of armed robberies here.

He said the four were placed high on the police wanted list after robbing foreign workers using machetes and other weapons.

Supt Arshad said the four, alongside two more suspects who are still at large, had allegedly robbed the foreign workers living in quarters at smallholdings here.

He said Melaka police had to set up a task force to track the suspects following reports made by the foreign workers and a manager of a smallholding over three armed robberies that were reported between Dec 3 and Dec 20, 2023.

Supt Arshad said three of the suspects, aged between 13 to 27 years old, were detained here while another one was apprehended at his home in Sik, Kedah, on Jan 16.

He added that one of the suspects has been released while two others still at large are currently being tracked.